New owners of NWIPA and Unlimited IPA making Pour Decisions
On May 3rd, beloved Foster-Powell beer bar and bottle shop Unlimited IPA quietly announced that it had changed ownership and would now be called Pour Decisions. Though there were rumors around town for several months that owner Dan Huish was looking to pass on the business, the lowkey announcement initially led to sad reactions and confusion as to what the fate of this Southeast Portland institution would be. Who had purchased the bar? Would they maintain the laid-back vibe and tightly curated and rarely disappointing IPA heavy draft list? How did Huish connect with them and ultimately decide to pass the crown?
Lucky for us, Pour Decisions owners Doug Henshaw and Dani Bahr are longtime fans of Unlimited IPA and are thrilled to be taking over the space. Both come from the beer world - with Henshaw having worked “a stint as a merchandiser at Columbia Distribution for roughly two years” where he met his “soulmate” in Bahr, who worked for Maletis, merchandising and hopping on trucks with drivers. She also put in time as a beertender and grocery buyer at John's Market Place on Powell Blvd. before ultimately becoming a sales rep at Point Blank. However, the move to take over Unlimited IPA came about out of a love for the bar.
“We had been customers of Unlimited IPA since it began! Bringing over pizza and sharing beers with friends. So when I started at Point Blank and got assigned the SE route I was expected to connect with Dan and talk beer with him! I would stop by every week, we would chat and write his order. I was not shy about letting him know how great the space is, what a great neighborhood of people he had around, and honestly how incredibly jealous I was. I told him that Doug and I are beer lovers and this is exactly the type of place we hope to have someday. He mentioned at one point about selling years down the road and I tried as casually as possible (probably not casually at all) to let him know we would love to be considered, this is our DREAM! He graciously gave a couple of beer nerds a chance when the time came,” says Bahr.
Originally opened as N.W.I.P.A over a decade ago before changing its name to Unlimited IPA following an overblown controversy in 2021, Huish and his personable bartending staff built a loyal following of mostly neighborhood regulars who appreciated the airy space, rotating art shows, constant spinning of vinyl, creative food pop-ups, and a taplist that was easy to choose from. Preserving its role in the community and beloved status is essential to Henshaw and Bahr.
“We love the people in the FoPo neighborhood and the small business community, they're genuine, kind and accepting people. We feel so lucky to be surrounded by a supportive group. The space itself is perfect, it's not so big you get lost in it, nice tall ceilings so you don't feel too claustrophobic. The giant skylight allows light to pour in on sunny days and listening to the rain trickle on it during a usual Portland day is just so cozy,” says Bahr.
With an attitude of why fix what ain’t broken, they plan to maintain the beer selection while considering adding some additional taps. “We are going to keep the emphasis on West Coast IPAs and golden goodness, while expanding our NA selection, non-hoppy and gluten-free offerings. We want EVERYONE to be able to make Pour Decisions with us!”
They haven’t begun any rebranding of the space yet but did give us a sneak peak (see image below), and they are planning to give the space a new paint job while continuing the art shows, albeit in a smaller more contained area. “We haven't figured out our new logo or anything yet, but we will be changing the name to Pour Decisions PDX. We are getting everything figured out and settled now and planning the grand reopening on June 22nd to coincide with the Foster Summer Soiree! We have some fun stuff that we're planning that we'll announce closer to the date and the neighborhood and businesses really come out for this event, we're excited to be a part of it this year,” says Bahr.
While time and the constantly changing craft beer landscape will tell how Pour Decisions evolves as a business, for now, it is more or less the status quo but with a new name. Henshaw and Bahr see this as a point of pride as they live our their dream of taking over one of Portland’s favorite beer bars.
“Since we are taking over a business that already has the love of the people that come here, we don't see the need to go in with a mindset to move away from what's going on. We are looking at it more as expanding on the great business Dan has made. We hope to always have a little of Unlimited IPA in here with us. We hope the name change will be welcomed by the community, as the core of the beer and atmosphere will remain largely the same. Most importantly, dogs remain welcome because they rule!”
